No conditions should be set for cross-strait exchanges: official

2017/07/03 20:51:31

CNA file photo

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) City exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait enhance bilateral understanding, but no political conditions should be set, a spokesman of the Presidential Office reaffirmed Monday.

Alex Huang (黃重諺) said exchanges between cities across the Taiwan Strait are local exchanges that enhance understanding and promote cooperation as long as no political conditions are set and are based on equality and dignity.

He was responding to remarks by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) at a Taipei-Shanghai City Forum the previous day.

In Ko's six-minute speech at the opening of the forum, he said "both sides are of one family" and that if cooperation is beneficial, they should surely cooperate, but if cooperation is unfavorable, it should be put off for later discussion.

He also said it would be beneficial at this stage to learn from and cooperate with each other.

Huang reaffirmed that maintaining cross-strait peace and stability and ensuring the welfare of the people are the shared responsibility of the two sides.

The Taipei mayor's remarks came as official cross-strait exchanges are stalled due to the refusal of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to accept the "1992 consensus" that Beijing wants as the foundation for cross-strait exchanges.

The "1992 consensus" refers to a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between China and Taiwan, which was then under a Kuomintang government, that there is only one China, with both sides free to interpret what that means.

Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party deny that a consensus ever existed and object to it because they see it as forcing Taiwan to accept the idea that it is a part of China, something many Taiwanese reject.